Learning curve
by Daemon12794
Summary: Damian learns the story of how Dick Grayson became Robin-Nightwing-Batman, from Oracle. Does this change his perception of the former boy wonder?
1. Chapter 1

**Set after Dick and Damian know that Bruce is alive, and lost in time. But he hasn't returned yet.**

* * *

"Honestly, Grayson. Can't you do anything right?"

"I'd like to see you try it, Mr. No-one-can-do-anything-right-but-me."

"…"

"Exactly."

Batman and Robin stood atop the gargoyles of Wayne Tower, looking down on the city. Batman had just let a thief get away without his stolen goods.

"Why did you let that vermin get away anyway?"

"He's not vermin Damian, he's a human being just like you – "

"He is nothing like me."

"You'd be surprised, Damian, to see how similar people actually are."

"You're not going to sing out some sermon on that six degrees of separation garbage, are you?"

"Uh, no. But you know what? Why don't you head back to the Bunker, I'm getting a real headache."

"Really, Grayson, you are a weakling."

But Batman was already gone. Damian was standing alone. _Hm. That, did not go well_. Then_, back to the bunker? Heh_.

He looked around, and saw a light in the Clocktower. _Maybe its time I pay a visit to that Gordon female._

A few minutes later, he was standing inside the building. The lights and computers were on, but the place was deserted. _This is the woman that my father and Grayson put so much trust in? I just waltz in and not a single alarm tripped?_

"You know, the only reason you're standing there on two feet is because I disabled the alarms from the kitchen."

Damian turned to face the redhead in the wheelchair at the door. Somehow, Barbara reminded him of a nurse that was assigned to him as a child. Her voice… her hair… her eyes. He knew this was a terrible weakness, but it was the only love that he received as a child. Deep, deep down in his heart (that he claims doesn't exist) he cherished each and every one of his maids' care.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"I established a different type of sensor after, uh, Bruce…. Kind of… set off one of the floor traps when he came here," It had been quite funny to Barbara when she had found the Batman hanging upside down from her ceiling at one in the morning a few weeks before he…. disappeared. But the only reason he had fallen into the trap was because he was injured, and since he hadn't set off any others, he assumed there was nothing left. Of course, he wasn't the first one to get caught in it. Dick and Tim would always be found floating around in some trap here, both extremely disgruntled. But after Bruce, she set up a sensor that would alert her before setting off, " knew it was you."

"But Grayson once mentioned that you always let him and Drake get stuck in your traps set up for intruders. I was… prepared for the challenge."

Barbara laughed. "Maybe another time, little D. I've upped the precautions on Dick's advice." _More like constant nagging, but whatever._

"Hm."

"Chocolate milk?"

"You get chocolate in the form of milk?"

"Uh, powder. Dissolved in milk."

"… I knew that."

"Of course," she said, smiling.

Damian brooded on the ledge behind Barbara while she worked at her computers. He heard her talking to Grayson after a while.

"You and Grayson are close…"

"Was that a question or a statement, little D?"

"I – When did you two meet? How did you come about being Batgirl?"

"It's a long story."

"And it's a long night."

Barbara smiled, facing her screens_. A year ago that boy would have been holding a knife at my throat for that kind of reply. And now, he says it's a long night. Gosh, Dick. You really do bring out the best in people_.

"Well, you know how Dick became Robin, right – "

"Actually… He has never chosen to share that story with me."

"Or, you never asked."

"Hm."

Barbara turned her wheelchair away from the computer, facing Damian, "Tell me, Damian. After one year of working with Dick Grayson, what do you know about him?"

"Well, he's pathetic. Too compassionate. Unable to carry out plans to their goal – which is a talent he shares with that Drake – and he talks too much!"

There was a short silence in the room.

"Do you really believe that?"

"… No. That was… my first opinion of him. He's got a temper. His compassion is a strength, not a weakness. Drake, is pathetic. But Grayson… is a good leader. He was a circus child? I heard Alfred talking about something like that to him."

Barbara smiled. "He was born in the circus, yes, to one of the most respected and widely known acrobats in the world… "

And so, Barbara told him the story of Richard Grayson. From the sketchy details she knew of his early days in the Manor, till present day. Damian listened quietly, asking an occasional question, but otherwise remaining silent, holding his forgotten cup of now cold chocolate milk.

"… And after what happened, he moved back to Gotham, and… you know the rest."

"Yes, I'm more or less a part of it."

"Mm."

"But you've described him as a very different person - "

_- Babs. – _Dick's voice blared from the computer. Damian and Barbara jumped at the sudden loud interruption. Damian dropped his cup, but managed to catch it just before it hit the floor. About half of the milk spilt onto the ground.

"-tt-," Damian grumbled.

Barbara eyed the mess, "I'd appreciate help with the clean-up."

Damian shot up haughtily, "You expect me to – of… of course," he mumbled as he glanced at the wheelchair. He ran out of the room.

Turning towards the intercom, "Hey, former boy wonder. What's up?"

_-Is Damian there?-_ Dick was unable to hide the incredulity in his voice.

"What can I say? I guess habits of the mentors rub off on their students," Babs was unable to keep the smirk out of her voice.

_-Bleh. Tell him to come back to the bunker, will you? It's almost 6 AM. –_

"Aye Captain Batman. Expect a lot of questions from him. "

- _What? Why? What did you tell him?_ –

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

_-Baaabs_- Dick whined through the comm, -_That's not fair_-

"Bye bye, boy whiner."

* * *

**Definitely another chapter coming!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hee, okay. I've taken a lot of points from different issues pre-crisis, post-crisis, rah rah rah. Don't comment on the facts of the story. I've taken points from mostly _Robin: Year One_, and _Nightwing:Year One_. Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter! Thanks especially to**

totallyawesome1398

** for your idea, I didn't use it, but I don't mind you continuing this story on your own either.**

* * *

Damian walked into the Bunker to find Dick hammering on the computer grumpily, while eating Alfred's sandwiches.

"Grayson," Damian nodded in greeting, before heading upstairs to get cleaned up.

"Hey Damian," Dick replied without looking away from the screen.

Alfred accompanied Damian upstairs, asking him about his night. Dick's eyes followed them into the lift until the doors closed. Then he threw his half eaten sandwich behind his back (_I'll be hearing about that one when Alfred slips after stepping on it_) and opened a video link to Oracle, "Babs, _what did you do to him_?"

_-What? What did he ask you? –_ Babs replied, as Tim roared into the cave on his bike.

"He didn't ask me anything, _he said hi!_ He greeted me, Barbara! He didn't give any snarky comment, no silly insult. **He. said. hi**!"

_-My God, Dick. Is that what you're so excited about?-_

"Hey, you'd see this guy get all excited if he sees a monkey wave at him in a zoo," Tim snorted, as he came up to the computer to get at the sandwiches Alfred had laid out.

Dick tied Tim's cape to the railing and grabbed the tray, moving it out of Tim's reach, "No sandwiches for you."

* * *

The next night, Batman and Robin were swinging past the City Hall. They stopped on a nearby roof which gave them a good view of the main entrance.

"And now we wait?" Robin asked.

"And now we wait," Batman confirmed.

About half an hour passed in silence. Dick had begun thinking that Barbara and Tim were pulling one on him when –

"Why did you drop the role of Robin?"

Dick let the question hang in the air for a few seconds, "What?"

"Oracle mentioned that you took up the name Nightwing sometime after having an argument with my father… "

"Not the time and place to – "

" – Have this conversation? Does this mean you'll never tell me?"

"No, I… You'll see, when Bruce comes back, he's not the easiest person to work with. And we had lots of fights… so this, was one just like that."

"That was quite an amazing attempt at being vague, Grayson."

Dick sighed. He shouldn't be telling him this. But still, he knew that in the future, this type of situation could (_no no, not could, it will definitely_) repeat itself.

"It was kind of like… I outgrew it? I mean, Bruce was having one of his bat-tantrums or whatever they're called, and I was with the Titans when he called me back to Gotham. I reached a little late – don't get me wrong, I tried my hardest to reach as fast as I could, but you know… and he got all batty and he… fired me," Dick said as quickly as possible, "For the second time," he added, under his breath.

"But why didn't you try to reclaim your title? To redeem yourself?" Damian asked.

"Because it wasn't a title that I fought to obtain," Dick replied, in a matter-of-fact voice, "I mean, sure, I wanted to go out on the streets and fight crime, but at the end, it was Batman who let me do that. He trained me; he made me who I am today.

"Bruce wasn't exactly the most understanding – But then, which parent is. But he was the best father I could ever get, considering the circumstances," Dick said quietly.

"I have heard that the Original Batman and Robin were the best," Damian mumbled.

Dick laughed, "Oh, when we started out, I was just – what, eight? Nine? Bruce was totally cool. I mean, all he ever asked for was me to give my best at whatever I did, and I never let him down. We'd share jokes on rooftops, and I would nag him until he agreed to bring back some memorabilia from our craziest adventures – like the giant penny and nickel – "

"Nickel?"

"I, uh, broke the nickel… ANYHOO, he'd give me tips on how to get girls and…" Dick's voice trailed off as he saw the look on Damian's face. Then he realised that he had described Bruce as the Bruce of old, "I – He's changed a lot since then, he's not as approachable as – "

"What happened?"

"Experience happened. When we started off, it was just Batman and Robin against the common criminals. But then, we started seeing exactly what we had gone to war against. As the police commissioner says, crime adapts to the ways of the crime fighters. When there was a man dressed as a bat jumping off rooftops, theatricality began to spread to Gotham's underbelly, and you got the Joker, Two Face, the Riddler…"

"Did his attitude change with you, or – "

"Oh yeah, my stint as Robin wasn't without harm, if that's what you mean. I once got almost beaten to death by Harvey Dent. That almost ended my career as Robin; Bruce fired me after that."

"What did you do then?"

"Heh. I ran away from home. Gave Alfred a near heart-attack."

"Where did you go?"

"Where does any homeless go? I went to the streets. Got mixed up in a gang. Got rescued by Batman. We made up, went back home, and the fight was repeated in many ways after that, for years to come."

"Hm."

A long silence followed after that.

"Grayson."

"Yes?"

"I… nothing."

Another long silence came.

"How did that idiot become Robin?"

"Who, Tim?"

"No – HAH! But no. Jason Todd."

* * *

**I'm not really planning on continuing this, and even if I am, I'll to do something which has Damian gaining respect for Tim by hearing his story, nothing about Jason.**


End file.
